


Sibling Rivalry

by tiniestdormouse



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: Family, Fluff, Gen, One-Shot, Short & Sweet, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2013-01-27
Packaged: 2018-01-05 10:06:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1092625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestdormouse/pseuds/tiniestdormouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part-fic, part-extended head canon. Little rivalries between Baskerville siblings of the last generation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sibling Rivalry

**Author's Note:**

> I refer to Levi as "Glen" in this case because this is from Lacie's PoV more than anything else.

When Lacie was younger, she wondered how much other people loved her in comparison to her older brother. This manifested itself in a fierce competitiveness with him where she secretly kept a tally on when she perceived Oswald was being favored over her.

At snacktime, she’d stare their current caretaker right in the eye and ask bluntly, “SO, who do you think should get this last cookie?”   
  
Or during baths: “But why do I have to go in first? Why not  _Oswald_?”

Or on walks: “But  _I_  want to play in the forest. Do you want me to sit and read like  _brother_  does?”

A seed of bitter resentment grew as she witnessed repeatedly in her eyes, Oswald getting everything done his way and not hers, and because he got everything his way, then he must be loved the most by  _everyone_.

At one point, she tossed aside an entire filled tea tray because the maid forgot to give her sugar cubes instead of honey.  
  
"You  _never_  forget to give Oswald extra milk when he wants tea!” she screamed at the startled maid, before stomping off to her bedroom and slamming the door.  

Glen knocked on her portal twenty minutes later. “Lacie, my sweet, why did you upset the maid?”

"Because she always thinks of Oswald first before me!" Lacie muttered into her pillow. She had thrown herself on the bed, tiny fists balled up at her side, so angry that she couldn’t even flop, but fell face-down onto the mattress, stiff as a board, and remained there, filling the room with a six year-old’s ferocity.  
  
"I don’t think she does. Mary’s just forgetful—you know how old she is."  
  
"But-but what about when Fang won’t let me wander off in the gardens? Or when Doug wouldn’t give me a piggyback ride when I asked him yesterday. Or… or… " A frustrated grunt came from the pillows. 

"Oh hush you." Glen sat on the bed and rubbed her back. "You know Fang and Doug love to play with you and Oswald when they have time."  
  
"No they don’t. They’d rather be with Oswald over me…" A sniffle was heard.

"Sweetheart?" Glen turned the girl over on the blankets and Lacie covered her eyes, rubbing angrily. After a moment, he asked, "This isn’t just about Doug or Fang or the maid, is it?"

She looked at at him, red-eyed. “Do people like me, Master Glen?”

He tilted his head, a soft smile on his face. “They do, very much. In fact, I think you can be a girl people are very fond of.”

"More than Oswald?" She curled in on her side. 

"Does that matter?" he asked, gathering her into his lap. Lacie leaned her head against his chest and could hear the heart that beat. She grabbed a pillow and clutched it to her chest. 

"Yes," she said determinedly. 

"They can’t even like you and him equally?"

"That’d be a lie."

"What if I said I like you both equally?"

"Liar-face."

"All right. You caught me." 

Something froze in her chest at those words. Lacie glanced up at Glen’s smiling face and half-lidded stare, her expression crumbling. Glen kissed her forehead. “I like you because you are fierce and strong-headed and aren’t afraid to pick fights. I like Oswald because he listens and he likes thinking things through and he treats everyone well. Both of you are different, so I like you both in different ways. I suppose that means I don’t like you equally, though. Is that a terrible thing?”

Lacie was quiet for a few minutes. “I guess not,” she said.

"And is it a terrible thing if that’s how everyone feels about everyone else? No one can like you and like your brother the same exact way, because you’re not the same person."

"Yeah." Lacie buried her head in his chest again. "He can be stupider. Sometimes."  
  
Glen laughed and picked her up as he got up from the bed. “Don’t be petty, my little darling. It doesn’t become you.” 


End file.
